Costal EV mod problem, maybe?

What notification do you get on the MFD?

The only way I know of to get an indication on the MFD is to be in a screen other than the main screen. Switching screens back to the main screen means you've successfully entered EV mode.

Now that's funny. Did you get that in writing? They told you to take it back to a Toyota dealer, which, 1. It's a mod by a third party company - enough said. 2. It's a mod that isn't even supposed to be on American Prius'.

 

While I can't speak for Coastal, I think what they are saying is double check and make sure the conditions are being met to enter EV.

I would advise against using the EV button to drain the HV battery down to two bars. It will shorten the life of the battery.

Do you have a scangauge?

 

1. When the display is showing one bars the HV battery is still at 40% of charge.

2. I have gone to two bars several times on long uphill roads. The Prius is designed to go down to the purple range before the ICE goes into high output and places a priority on charging the battery back up. If two bars shortened the life of your engine then Toyota could easily have made the ICE cut in much earlier so I kind of doubt that the two bar thing is all that bad.

3. The EV mode cuts out at 3 bars I believe (I have a mod in my '07)

also to the O.P. -

FWIW - my coastal EV mod that I installed a month or 2 ago in my '07 does not give me any indication of engaging other than a MFD screen switch so I think that behavior is normal.

Also you have to be in a very specific set of circumstances for the Prius to go into battery mode - this was all explained in the coastal instructions that came with the mod most of which I forgot. I do remember that you have to have a certain number of bars showing (3 or 4 i think) and you must be below a certain speed (35 or so I vaguely recall) as well as a few other params - so if you try to reengage the mod at speed I think it likely that you are just not in the correct set of params under which the Prius is designed to work in golf-cart mode.

I've played with the mod and can only get a mile and a half out of the car ( at 25) on battery power before the ICE kicks back in. The mod is really a show thing to impress friends and isn't useful for anything practical IMHO

 

Good luck with that.

 

Firstflight Do you have a link to a specific reliable source which says that the normal behavior of the Prius - to be able to go down to the purple - is a bad thing? I'd be interested in specific and reliable information rather than just an opinion.

Until I get that all I know is that Toyota itself designed the vehicle to go down as low as 40% charge (one bar) s before the vehicle really ramps up the necessity of increasing that charge. In the three months I have had the vehicle I have seen two bars (purple) at least 4 times in mountainous terrain. If two bars were that detrimental to the battery as you claim, Toyota could easily have changed the software to keep the charge at any level that they chose. Considering that they are offering a 150,000 mile warranty on that battery (in California) it would certainly be in Toyota's best interest to have done that if what you say were the case.

 

Nope. I sure don't. What are you trying to prove? That continually going to two purple bars isn't a problem?